More ways to connect

Quick links

Proud Mitten, winner of 2013 Bell’s Homebrew Competition, to be released this week

06.09.2014

Proud Mitten, the winner of the 2013 Bell’s Homebrew Competition, will be tapped for the general public at 2 p.m. on June 15 at the Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo.

Dry hopped twice during fermentation, Proud Mitten straddles the line between an American Pale Ale and an IPA. Aromas of mango, pineapple and pine are very pronounced.

David Lyman, of Kalamazoo, (photo at right) created the recipe that uses Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops as well as Michigan malt from the Bell’s Farm in Shepherd, Michigan.

It was brewed at Bell’s original brewery, located adjacent to the Café.

“Brewing with Zeke (Bell’s Specialty Brewer) was an amazing experience. His knowledge on brewing science and practical brewing was something that I was looking forward to, and he didn't let me down. Zeke answered all my questions,” Lyman said.

“I was dog tired at the end of the day, but one of the more memorable days of my life. I loved every minute of it,” he said.

Held annually beginning in September, the Bell’s Homebrew Competition is now entering its fifth year.

Homebrewers receive five gallons of Bell’s wort for free to brew their entry. They are welcome to add their own malt, hops, spices and yeast. A panel of Bell’s employees and other brewing industry members judge the entries that are submitted.

The next competition will kick-off on Sept. 13. The homebrewer who takes first place this year will have an additional unique and exciting opportunity. More details will be announced soon.

Bell’s Planet Series, inspired by music of Gustav Holst, will debut in August

06.06.2014

In the same tradition as our Batch and Wheat Series,’ we are proud to announce The Planet Series.

It will feature seven different beers each inspired by a different piece of music from the composer Gustav Holst. Each beer will be limited and released both in six-packs and on draft according to the arrangement of Holst’s composition across all areas we distribute to.

The first Planet beer will be released this August with each successive entry debuting about every two months after. The final beer is scheduled for release in July 2015.

“Our two most successful brands come from a couple of my great literary references. This time, I took inspiration from a great piece of music,” said Larry Bell, Bell’s President and Founder.

“This piece, being in seven movements, gives us a lot of freedom to innovate and create,” he added.

Holst conceived the idea for “The Planets” in 1913 with the first complete performance occurring in 1920. Each movement of the suite is named after a different planet and its corresponding astrological character

The lineup:

"Mars, The Bringer of War" – Double IPA

"Venus, The Bringer of Peace" – A Blonde Ale brewed with honey, apricot, vanilla and cardamom

"Mercury, The Winged Messenger" – A Belgian Single

"Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity" – A malt forward Brown Ale

"Saturn, The Bringer of Old Age" – A Bourbon Barrel-aged Barleywine

"Uranus, The Magician" – Black Double IPA

"Neptune, The Mystic" – A beer inspired by Dr. Bell’s Medicinal Stout, one of Larry Bell’s homebrews that also helped inspire Eccentric Ale

General admission tickets are $39 and VIP tickets are $60. VIP tickets include early admission at 6 p.m., private beer tappings with exclusive food pairings, a larger sampling mug and more.

With each ticket purchase, attendees will receive 10 tokens for one half-pour of beer each and four tickets for burgers and wings. Additional tokens and tickets for beer and food can be purchased for just a $1 each.

Bagger Dave’s and Buffalo Wild Wings will also be back as culinary partners.

If that wasn’t enough, there will also be live music from Hype Syndicate.

Note: By Law You Must be 21 Years of Age or Older to View Our Website.
We Ask Your Birthday Only for Age Verification.
We Do Not Store or Share this Information for Any Reason.
Please Refer to Our Privacy Policy for More Information.